Story:A Reunion Long Overdue
A Reunion Long Overdue is an event in both Karnasaur history and Dragandr history. It occurred when the 523rd Expeditionary Fleet came into Dragandr space looking for new planets to colonize. Gaedheal, leading a Brigade of the Dragandr Oracle Knights in search of Roxas, mistook the Karnasaurs ships' energy levels as possibly Roxas'. This marks the first time the Dragandr had communicated with a space-faring race besides the Cuthandi. Part 1: Contact Dragandr Gaedheal eyed the energy meter carefully along with Centurion Ghurn'Lorl. It was pulsing slightly, showing a large energy well within it's most northern parameters. "Do you think that's Roxas...sir?" Ghurn asked uncomfortably. "It's a very real possibility. His energy pool is massive." Gaedheal replied. "Head for that energy!" "What!? We don't even know if it's him! It could be pirates, evil Dragandr,...maybe even those things that changed him in the first place..the Har-somethings..." "They are called Harbingers Ghurn. Besides, we wont know until we investigate. Now go!" Ghurn narrowed his eyes, then called for all ships to head towards the pool of energy. "As you wish...Greysoul." Ghurn said scornfully. "EXCUSE ME?!" Gaedheal roared, unsheathing the Origin Blade. His energy glowed bright grey around the weapon. Thankfully, a lieutenant pulled Gaedheal away. "Remember what the King said Gaedheal," the lieutenant said, "Not everyone is going to treat you kindly here. Not with you're...err..." "Heritage, heritage. I know! But still..." Gaedheal sighed, "It gets on my nerves when almost all of them call me that." "But still-" the lieutenant started, but then two soldiers rushed up to Gaedheal. "Sir, you have to come right away!" the two said almost in unison, "We found something!" "..Roxas?" Gaedheal asked hopefully. "No...ships. Alien ships. It's another space-faring race!" "Like...like the Cuthandi?" Gaedheal asked, astounded by their words. "We aren't too sure. We need you to talk to them. You are the commander of the Brigade." Gaedheal nodded, and together they raced up to the command deck. Ghurn looked shocked, like someone has slapped him across the face. "Another space-faring race...may Drahgandos help us all..." Gaedheal ignored the Centurion and turned on the UTC. Cautiously, he sent a single message: "Um...hello?" Karnasaurs "Admiral Sree. We've encountered unclassified star ships, they seem to be military in nature." Captain Gern reported. "Size and composition of the fleet?" The Admiral inquired. "It seems to be equatable to a brigade, and contains several frigates and cruisers, with a hint of carriers and a dash of corvettes." The Captain responded "Any messages?" Sree asked "Yes. A one-worded hail. I'd wager we're making first contact, ma'am." Gern answered "Very well. We'll follow standard protocol for contact." Sree declared. Moving now to the communication terminal, Admiral Sree started recalling her training in contact protocol. She was to assume thw worst; As such, she gave an order to the fleet to prep weapons, just in case there was some kind of falling out. She was to establish the size and strength of the new empire and was to then give a formal recommendation to the nearest diplomatic authority as to how to negotiate and what to negotiate; It was basically a question of adding a new dominion or protectorate or rather gaining an ally. Firing up the comm, the Admiral felt the system scan her and pressed the buttons activated it. A mirco-wormhole was projected out, one side in the Sauren cruiser, the other near where the inital message was sent from. This allowed the exchange of particles needed for instant, holographic communication She could now see a holographic representation of the nearest lifeforms; In this case, it was a humanoid with a reptilian, almost draconic tail. He seemed utterly shocked at the sudden appearence of the fully draconic Admiral, and she could hear traces of screams and gasps at her materialization. Expanding the scanning range of the projected side, Sree could now see two other, similar entities. They, however, could still only see her. "Ahem... Greetings. I am Admiral Sree Kesh of the 523rd Expeditionary Fleet, Karnasaur Meritocratic Federation. Judging by your reactions, this is the first you've encountered alien life. If not, it's the first you've encountered it this way. Before I continue, I request your name, rank, and nation of origin." Sree began. "I... I am... Gaedheal... I am leader of this Brigade of the Oracle Knights... and I am of the Dragandr Meritocratic Monarchy." "I see. One moment..." Sree said, as she started searching KMF records for any mention of these Dragandr. Sure enough, there it was: A file listed about a species calling themselves 'Dragandr' that the KMF visited twice before; Once to meddle with their evolution as part of experimentation, and again during a civil war to uplift them. "Excuse me, Admiral Sree?" The Dragandr poked. "Ah yes. As I was saying-" "Before you continue," ventured the Dragandr, "I am going to have to ask your intent for encroaching on Dragandr space." "Ah... this could be problematic..." Sree thought. She couldn't just tell them they were looking for worlds to settle, they might take it for a threat of invasion. KMF policy on contact is to attempt friendly appearence to generate rapport. An imagined invasion force would not help with that. Oh well. Wording is everything. "We did not intend to encroach on Dragandr space, we were set here to explore this region of the Galaxy to search for planets with the potential to become canidates for colonization efforts. Our civilization has an issue with overpopulation, andf we require a little more room before previous initatives to alleviate said overpopulation can reach peak efficiency." "So you're here to colonize?" "Yes, but the KMF does not conquer smaller civilizations." "You imply our nation to be small?" "In comparison." "Admrial Sree, I regret to inform you that the DMM is larger than you think. How many worlds does your 'KMF' possess?" Gaedheal responded. He didn't want to have these foreigners think themselves superior. "Allow me to show you..." Admiral Sree said, as she tapped a few buttons on the comm terminal. A map of the Galaxy appeared in front of Sree, and the Dragandr could see it as well. "This is where we are currently located..." Sree said, as the map identified their current location, in the Norma Arm. "And this is the extent of the KMF." She finished, with the entire Scutum-Centaurus Arm highlighting in KMF colors: Scarlet interior, golden border. She restrained a smile at the reactions of the Dragandr before her. One of them actually seemed to almost faint at the sight of such a massive empire. "Your people... suffer overpopulation?" Gaedheal asked in shear shock. "Try fitting a few hundred trillion in there. Harder than you think." Sree responded. "So.. what happens now?" "Now, I contact the nearest diplomatic authority to stop by. They can take over from there. Meanwhile, before they arrive, I must ask that you and your fleet remain here, for security reasons." "We have a mission-" "Is it a matter of immediate national security or the continuity of your race?" "Well... no, but-" "Then it can wait. If you attempt to leave, we will interpret that as an attempt to raise a force to attack us and we will pursue you." "How can you pursue us if-" "Karnasaurs are the most technologically advanced species in the galaxy. Locating the destination of a fleet in FTL, and then arriving there first, mind you, is no new feat or difficult task." "I can see we have little choice in the matter." Gaedheal said, with frustration. "You do. We will not engage in combat unless we are fired on. But until the diplomat arrives, diplomatic relations are not officially established and we must treat you and your empire with due caution." "As per what authority?" "As per protocol. We've done this alot." "Very well. We will remain. Just make sure you don't take too long." "Of course. Hail us if you need to talk." Sree said, cutting the comm. Looking now to her personal terminal at her command chair, she looked for the nearest diplomatic authority. The results came up, and she was both surpised, excited, and a little scared of the first, and therefore nearest, result: Name: Etah Owar Assignment: Galactic Senate Special Operations Corps Current Mission: None Clearance: Security Clearence Level 0 Department: ELICAN High Risk Operations Authority: Royal Proximity: 25 Minutes Not stopping to think about it, Sree sent a report-in order. A single response came back for feedback: "Understood" Dragandr Centurion Ghurn stuttered in amazement "Cu-Cu-Cuthandi? How is this possible?" Gaedheal eyed Ghurn with surprise, then turned to the holographic image in front of them. "Err...me and my advisor must speak on something. I promise we will not attempt to escape or attack." Sree looked at them suspiciously, but replied "Very well. But dont take too long. A diplomat is coming soon, and it would not be good for you to make him wait." Gaedheal nodded in agreement, then grabbing Ghurn by the shoulder he pulled him to the commander's room. "Why the hell are you stuttering about Cuthandi?! These are...Karnasaurs apparently." Ghurn shook his head "I have lived for a long time Gaedheal. Even though I was little, I saw the Cuthandi. These are Cuthandi." "But then...why do they call themselves Karnasaurs?" Gaedheal asked. Ghurn groaned in frustration "It doesn't concern me what they call themselves! It was their blades! Did you see the Admiral's blade?" "No..." Gaedheal replied slowly. "Her blade, it was almost a perfect replica of the Origin Blade!" Ghurn cried, exasperated "I know you lived on Oulobann Gaedheal, but still!" "But..what does the blades matching have to..do..." Gaedheal started to ask, only to have the answer become apparent in his head. "You think they're the race that uplifted the Dragandr?" "When the Cuthandi first came, they never wielded blades. So we had no proof that they were the race that uplifted us, and not just some random race. But now..." "So the Karnasaurs evolved our kind..." "I dont know! According to the White Sage, the race that uplifted us by a race much like our own, lead by an 'Owar' of some kind for trading purposes. But when they saw our kind-" "They decided to do an experiment?" Gaedheal finished. "Exactly. And these...Karnasaurs, Cuthandi, whatever they call themselves seem quite similar to that race." Before they could argue more, a soldier tapped on the door. "Come in lad." Ghurn answered, and a soldier came into the door. "The... the Admiral Sree said that the diplomat has just arrived. You have to come." Ghurn and Gaedheal looked at each other questioningly, and returned to the command deck. Sree did not seem too happy. "You took a while Commander Gaedheal. I had started to worry you had abandoned our agreement." "Of-of course not!" Gaedheal stammered, "My advisor and I were just trying to...settle some things." Sree eyed them catiously, but before she could speak a low droning sound could be heard in the backround. Sree looked behind her, and a look of surprise and astoundment appeared across her face. Ghurn and Gaedheal gave each other nervous looks. Speaking to someone not in the hologram, she turned and said "And now, our most gracious diplomat wishes to have a word or two." Her hologram image disappeared for a second or two, before being replaced by a larger male Karnasaur. He looked ancient, but where the male Karnasaur couldnt see, the soldier at the energy meter looked at it in surprise. Looking to Gaedheal, he mouthed a message: "His power level doubled the combined power level of the whole fleet!" Surprised, Gaedheal looked back at the Karnasaur. In a deep, powerful voice he introduced himself. "I am Colonel Etah Owar, representative of the Karnasaur race. May I have the pleasure of knowing who I am speaking to?" Part Two: Protocol Karnasaurs "Greetings, erm... Colonel Owar. I am Gaedheal, representative of the Dragandr Meritocratic Monarchy." The Dragandr introduced. "The more proper method of address is Colonel Etah, Representative Gaedheal. Referring to a Karnasaur by their clan name is considered crass. Now then, I understand you are on a mission of some sort, one of high priority. Pray do elaborate on the nature of this mission." "We... were hunting down a person of interest. His is called Roxas, have you or your kind seen him?" "A description would be nice." "He his incredibly powerful, with numerous augmentations made by a hostile cybernetic race called-" "The Harbingers..." Gaedheal was taken aback for a moment. "You know of them?" "Yes, I do. They are extinct now. After endless warfare, they are extinct... This Roxas, he was implanted by them?" "Yes." "Why do you pursue him?" "He is no criminal, but we want to insure that he does not threaten our security." "I see. Excuse me one moment; I must speak with Admiral Sree." "Of course, Colonel." Etah stepped out of the projector's range and faced the Admiral. "You didn't tell me they had Harbinger contact." "I didn't know, it didn't seem important." "You know that any race with Harbinger contact could have information we don't have on them. I'll let this slide, Admiral, but remember protocol." "We haven't all had five thousand years to memorize it, with all due respect, sir." Etah scowled at the Admiral a moment. Suddenly, his vision contracted, and he heard the distant sound of bombers roaring overhead, gunfire being exchanged... Before the hallucination intensified, Etah pulled out a syringe and a box filled with needles. Applying a needle to the syringe, Etah took out a small bottle of liquid. Opening it, he smelled a bittersweet, acidic scent coming from it. Dipping the needle in the liquid, he injected the syringe into his neck and released its contents into his bloodstream. Feeling his vision return to normal, Etah removed the needle and, dipping it into the bottle again, placed it back in its box. Returning all of these items to his pockets, Etah regained his focus. "Colonel, are you alright?" "Yes, yes... ahem..." Etah had been suffering from his Exertion-Triggered Hyper-Paranoia Syndrome (ETHPS, the name given to to his hyper-advanced form of PTSD) symptoms for centuries, but made a point to keep up on his medication so that no one on GSSOC would know. With Infra's defeat and GSSOC First Gen's disbandment, he had slacked a little until the new recruits for the team were squared away. As such, he accidentally forgot his dosage for the day earlier, and nearly went into another of his hallucinations. This one seemed to be from the First Galactic War; Usually, they were from the Second. Returning his focus to the situation at hand, Etah turned back to the alien representative, and re-entered the scanner range. "Now then, as per protocol, I must ask you to bring me to your homeworld to speak with your leadership." Dragandr Gaedheal thought over the Colonel's request before replying "As you wish...though I ask that you partake to a custom of sorts." Colonel Etah looked at him with suspicion "What custom?..." "An exchange of leaders," Gaedheal answered, "You are not the first space-faring nation we've seen. As you can see, the Dragandr Meritocratic Monarchy includes many other races besides our own." Gesturing behind him, some workers were preping an engine. One was human-like, another like a centaurish panther, and the third a massive green dragon with a dull grey exoskeleton. "As you can see, we have a diversity of races in our empire. Yours has just been the most advanced we've seen, it's why we were so surprised. But whenever we meet up with a new race, we have a custom of an exchange of leaders. One comes to the Dragandr's ship and the other to your ship. It'll be the only way Tek'Typhos will allow your fleet go into orbit around the planet." "So basically the exchange is for leverage?" Gaedheal shrugged "If you want to put it in strategic terms, yes." Colonel Etah nodded "Fine, I will come to your ship. However, I do want to talk to you about the person you pursue, Roxas. Is there another who can take your place?" Centurion Ghurn stepped into view "I will. I am the leader of this Brigade behind Gaedheal." Colonel Etah agreed, and after switching ships, he looked around the ship's command deck. "Impressive. But now to buisness. Is there a place where we can speak privately?" "Of course." Geadheal answered, and lead the Colonel to the commander's room. Offering Etah a seat, he sat in a chir behind a desk. "So, what is it you want to know about Roxas?" "What did the Harbingers do to him? Do you know why they did this to him?" Gaedheal rubbed the back of his head "Well Roxas was one out of two experiments. I mean, they also took Kaos..." "There's another like this Roxas?" Etah asked. "Not exactly." Geadheal replied, and turned on a hologram moniter showing a Elda Dragandr in the brigade. "This is what we Dragandr can evolve into if we so choose, Elda Dragandr. Kaos is one of those idividuals, and an evil one at that. He started a massive civil war twice, if I remember correctly." "Well it's your race's history, shouldn't you know it?" Gaedheal's face darkened a bit "Let's just say...i'm not up to date yet, ok? Anyway, the Harbingers apparently captured Roxas and Kaos to experiment on them. Kaos was suppossed to be a superweapon, to fight whatever the Harbingers were facing." "A superweapon?" Etah asked "You have to ask Tek'Typhos. He knows more about it than I do." "And Roxas was another weapon?" Gaedheal shook his head "No. Apparently he was suppossed to be the next step in Harbinger evolution." "What? How?" Etah asked, astounded. "Assimilation." Gaedheal replied "They were trying to evolve to the point where they could've assimilated themselves into other races." "Did it fail?" "Not at all. Roxas was a massive success. But before they could utilize it, Kaos got free and destroyed all the data. Now only Roxas and Kaos are the true evolution...and partially me I think." "You?!" Etah exclaimed. "I was poisoned with Dark Heart a while ago. I was about to die, but Roxas healed me by infecting me with a weak version of whatever the Harbingers used to make him, right before he left. I mean, i'm not as mutated as him certainly, but I do have some Harbinger genetics. Especially with technology." "This is quite grave. This Roxas is a very potential threat." "Indeed. It's why we are looking for him." "Though...what is of Kaos?" Etah questioned "Certainly he would be the more potential threat." "He was already captured. After he destroyed the Dragandr's old homeworld-" "Excuse me if I may, " Etah interjected, "But this Kaos destroyed a world?!" Gaedheal nodded sadly "During the last war, he destroyed it by hitting the planet's core. It was a devastating loss. Most of the Dragandr population would have perished if not for the city-ships." "I see...your king and I have much to talk about..." Suddenly a light flashed on the desk. Gaedheal pressed it, and the hologram appeared again, this time with a Dragandr with a much older appearance. "Gaedheal, what is with the alien ships arriving at Taerrus?! I thought you were finding Roxas!" "We were my liege," Geadheal replied, "But we chanced upon this race. They wished to make diplomatic measures. It would not be a good idea to deny them their request." "Have the proper measures been carried out?" Gaedheal nodded "Their diplomat is here with me and Centurion Ghurn is with their admiral." Tek'Typhos nodded "Good. Then send the diplomat down. We'll meet in the throne room." Part Three: Diplomacy Karnasaurs Category:Tandem stories Category:Articles by User:Nra 'Vadumee Category:Articles by User:Oblivion26